Screeching Death
by saphirekey
Summary: Based in the universe of October Daye, Sapphire is a Banshee living in New York, near Niagara Falls. She creates a knowe for the safety of changelings addicted to goblin fruit. But shortly after the knowe comes to life, things start to go wrong, so very wrong, for Sapphire. Will she be able to succeed in finding answers to secrets or will the Banshee insanity take over?
1. Chapter 1

Hi! Most of the characters in this fan story are creations of mine. However, the world in which they live in is based off of the novels that Seanan McGuire has created, with her October Daye series. In one of the novels, a passing line about how most of the Fae had been lost in New York due to iron being everywhere got me thinking, so that's how this story was created, with Sapphire, her siblings, friends, and enemies, has come to be born. There will be some possible spoilers ahead, since there are currently so many novels out that it might take time for someone to catch up.

**Chapter One**

When my sister entered the kitchen holding up a cup of coffee in one hand, I was relieved. I had spent most of the morning filing away the bills and making sure that the home would stay intact for another month. I had forgotten about coffee, and my sister, who promised to visit on this special day, promised to bring some with her. When she slid a second cup in front of me, that was what got me to pause and then frown at her.

"Exactly what kind of bribe is this, Opal?" I questioned, giving the cup a good sniff. It was tea, not coffee. Home brewed, but thrown into a paper cup to make me question it less. Most likely a concoction of her own, but it smells heavily of chamomile.

Opal cocked her head at me, a motion that mimicked what my young niece did when she wanted something, but pretended that said item wasn't bad for her. It must have been a trick that she learned from her own mother. It was followed by a sickly sweet, high pitched question that grated on my nerves. "Whatever do you mean, dear little sister?"

I held up one cup, shaking it gently as not to splatter it everywhere. "Coffee, " I said. I then shook the other, spilling tea on my hand. "Tea. And not just any tea. Calming tea."

It was a trick that she used to do back when we were kids and the powers that we had were harder to control. We are both Banshees. Though, Opal was different from me. She was a pure blooded Banshee, something that was hard to come by with so few male Banshees existing in the world. I was a changeling. Half human, half Banshee. There was a third of us, though, my older brother, Jasper, who was half Banshee, half Tylwyth Teg. He was the luckiest one out of all of us.

What you might not know is that Banshees are known to be crazy, to go from being calm and controlled to snapping a second later. The more muddled the blood becomes, the higher the chance the insanity takes over. We all have triggers, moments when our insanity slips when we try our best to hide it. For Opal, it was any extreme emotion that she felt; fear, happiness, anger. Jasper appears to be insane from the outside when he focuses hard on a task. The Banshee in him gives a hyper focus on a task and he refuses to do anything until it is done. He moved into my house a few years ago, because I stopped over at his place and found out he wasn't eating while he tinkered away at his alchemy. For me, it's been my fear and anger alone. I almost killed a human man when I found his body pressed too close to a woman who was definitely feeling uncomfortable. Instead, I broke his hand and a few ribs and had to pay the bill.

We are oddly close for all having different fathers, with our relationship only connected to a mother who wanted us all to be connected. I was a good two hundred years younger than Jasper and a good three hundred years younger than Opal. I had only recently reached the age of twenty eight. My mother is a loving woman, though, especially considering that she is a Duchess and my very human father sits on the throne next to her. The Summerlands will keep him alive for as long as my mother says so, and with the love and admiration that grew in her eyes every day, I doubt it would happen any time soon. The ripple effect was that each of us knew that there would be a triggering moment to our insanity and help squash it before it could ever form.

But, when you know someone for all your life, you begin to pick up on their tricks. I could smell my sister's magic in the tea. It was faint, but rolling mist and soft moss was there. She had enchanted it to make sure that I stayed sedated for something.

"Is this because of the CPS guys coming?" I asked. "We knew about that for months, they just want to make sure that everything is okay."

Plus, I'm fairly certain that Rogers had a crush on me. He was always the one who stopped by and did nothing but praise me for the work that I was doing. If only he knew that what I was doing was creating a home for the changelings who were abandoned, ran off, or whose parents were just too scared to leave them alone while they played fairy bride. I was able to buy a large plot of land and build a beautiful home on top of it. I could only fit about fifty changelings in the place at a time, but most of them liked what I was doing and came back from time to time, to tell me they have become a knight, a courtier, or even a professor at the local college. One was even a doctor in psychology and when the children from Blind Michael's lands came back to us, broken, scared, and unable to sleep because the shadows danced too much, she came in handy. Ryda was forever welcomed in my home.

"No, actually, it's because of mom," said Opal. She must have seen my eyes widen because she began to wave her hands furiously. "No, no, everything is okay. It's just. . . well, drink your tea."

I slowly sipped at my tea, watching my sister carefully. Opal was a beautiful woman and it was no surprise that she had two kids. In a human disguise, she looked to be somewhere in her mid thirties. She always softened her sharp cheekbones and changed her eye color from dancing sparkles of white, gold, blue, and yellow into a subtle gray. Her ears were sharply pointed, even her curled white hair could not hide them well, especially since they had a tendency to hang slightly to the side instead of upright. My ears did the same.

We were all named after our eye colors, a unique feature that each of us had. Jasper had conflicting reds, blues and grays in his eyes, all fighting each other to stand sharply out. The blue won when he placed his human disguise up but the red fought hard when he appeared as himself.

I, myself, appeared more human than my siblings with my dark blue eyes that seemed to crack when the sunlight hit them. My hair was one of the strangest features about me, with a separation in my colors. The top of my head was a rich mahogany brown while underneath was pure white. More than once I have been oddly mistaken as a Cu Sidhe from behind, even though their hair is red and white. It isn't until they see my face that they realize the mistake that was made. My sharp cheekbones and wild, mad driven eyes were signs of the Banshee that was in my blood. Most people would run away from the view. Few people have stuck around when the mistake is made.

Once I finished drinking my tea Opal began to speak again, "She learned about the digging that was happening from the shallowing in the backyard."

If I had any tea left, I would have choked on it. "What? How did she find that one out?"

Our brother took that moment to saunter in, his hands deep in his pockets and sullen expression on his face. He must have been listening in on the conversation. "Well, I might have let it slip."

I groaned. About two years ago, I found out the reason why I had been drawn to the plot of land that I built the house on. A sturdy shallowing sat on it, one that with a lot of work could become a knowe. Shallowings don't respond easily to changelings, though. It's been taking me a little longer than I had hoped to dig it.

Resting my elbows on the counter, I rubbed my face. "Please don't tell me what she said."

"Alright," said Jasper. "Can I at least tell you that she plans on stopping over today?"

I groaned even louder behind my hands. Even though I could not see my siblings snickering, I could at least hear them. I couldn't feel any rise in insanity, though, so this news was at least safe to hear. Or at least Opal's tea was starting to work. I was fairly certain that we were apart of Titania's children. We were land Fae, for good example. Though, I wasn't sure exactly how. We were more fit to be Maeve's children more than we were fit to be Titania's children. I wouldn't be surprised if I found out that someone had been lying about our origins. If I remember correctly, at least, Cliodhna was our Firstborn. I wasn't sure if she was still alive or not. If she was alive, I would love to have a conversation with her.

"Alright, what exactly does she know?" I asked.

Jasper cracked a soft, small smile. "She knows that I am trying to cure the addiction of goblin fruit for the changelings and that you were trying to find a safe place outside of the human eye."

Before I could protest, before I could yell at him, our human disguises slammed down on us. A trick that I had learned to do when I first opened the house and allowed human scrutiny to happen. Whenever someone rang the doorbell, a human disguise descended upon everyone. It used to take a lot out of me, but now with everyone contributing to the disguises, we were able to mask the whole building from being discovered by humans.

I pointed to my siblings, coffee in hand, saying, "If Mom comes strolling in, ruining everything that we have worked for, I will strangle her myself."

While I loved my mother, and my siblings included, I loved my changeling children more. Especially since I learned that due to my human side, I was given a gene that would not allow me to have kids. Something about empty genetics. It could be fixed with magic, as Ryda has stated more than once. But everyday, more abandoned and alone changelings ended up at my doorstep. Some as young as four and some as old as fourteen. The oldest was someone who appeared to be sixteen but was over thirty. He was lost and didn't know where to go. I fed him, clothed him, and he became a professor in history. He was Tuatha De Danann if I remember correctly. I got a check every month from him as a donation to keep the building running.

The three of us wandered to the main door. When I opened it, a familiar face smiled at me. Rogers radiated happiness upon seeing me. He was completely human. If it wasn't for my disguise, I would say it was because I was apart of Faerie that caused him to glow upon seeing me. We have known each other since I first opened the building. He wasn't sure what rules I had behind accepting children into foster care, but he rarely asked about the new faces that appeared between his visits.

He was handsome for a human. Curly blonde hair was cut just below his ears. Short enough to allow the curls to take place, but short enough that it wouldn't go out of control. His official visits were in suits and a clipboard where he marked things off. As long as I kept things clean and never harmed any of the children, everything turned out okay. Usually he came alone. The end of his inspection left him with a fresh cup of coffee and a flirty comment. He would tell me that my sweetness and kindness healed his broken heart. I don't think he remembered what he said each meeting, because he would repeat himself when he came back the next time around.

I froze upon the sight of a second person, though. Not just any other person, though. I could see a shimmer of a glamour around the person, making them appear to be human when they were nothing like so.

In fact, their shot of red hair made me believe that they were Daoine Sidhe. I bit hard on my tongue to keep myself from protesting. I smiled at Rogers instead, who lit up upon seeing me.

"Saph!" he said, using my common nickname that those who were close to me used. "It's good to see that you are happy and healthy. Mind if we come in?"

"No, not at all," I said, trying my best to not grit my teeth. "I'm just curious as to who is with you today."

"Oh? Matt? He's harmless," said Rogers, jabbing a thumb at the man. "He's one of the new guys and wanted to see about the wonderful heir who built a home for orphans."

I spread out my arms, letting the man move pass me. The man, so called Matt, flashed a strange look at my siblings. Opal looked ready to claw his eyes out while Jasper stayed back and studied him carefully. Neither one of my siblings were okay with change, just like I was, but we all expressed it differently. With a Daoine Sidhe in the house now, we were all going to be on edge.

Slowly, we walked down the halls. I explained the features of the house to Matt, things that Rogers would nod his head in agreement since he already knew. I told him about the two kitchens that we had, with six ovens total. Four cooks were apart of the staff. They were pure blooded Hobs, but Rogers didn't know that. He believed that they were former orphans who decided that I needed the help after they grew out of the system. Their half blooded children tended to clean the rest of the building. The total number of them was ten. I think that another was going to join the crew, but I had yet to approve that. Bedrooms were on the second, third, and fourth floor. There were bathrooms on the first floor, four total. They always appeared to be in use, especially in the mornings. There was a living area, as well, with a large TV that was always being fought over. Especially now, with two young boys fighting over which cartoons to watch.

"Hey, hey, Scott, Paavo, stop that." I yanked the remote from the boys, who stopped fighting upon seeing me. I waved in their face. "Remember the last time you fought like this?"

Judging by the shocked expression they both shared, I would assume that they did. Quickly, both boys said that they would play nicely as long as they could watch their afternoon cartoons. Since it was the weekend, I handed the remote back to them.

"Play nice or Opal will hide the TV," I said.

My sister flashed the boys a far too wide smile, showing the whites of her teeth. If she wasn't in a human disguise, those teeth would be far sharper. The boys made a small noise before silently settling on the couch.

"I remember when you had to take the TV from them the one time," said Rogers, smiling fondly at me. "They didn't believe you but you yanked the whole thing off the wall and walked it off to your room."

I flashed him my own smile. It had been two years since that incident, I had almost forgotten if he hadn't said anything. The look on Matt's face made me scowl, though. He appeared to be disgusted at the thought that there were any good or personal thoughts between a Fae and a human, even if that Fae was only a changeling.

First we stopped and showed off our computer rooms. They were blocked to make sure that any child that needed school homework on it could, but couldn't do anything else. A young woman, ready to apply for college, was typing away for her entry form to the local Niagara college. She flashed a look of annoyance when we disturbed her for the short moment.

The next few rooms were the bedrooms, all tidy and clean. There was one where a Hob "supervised" a mother and a child visit. It was something that we arranged to make it seem like we were trying to reunite families when in reality we worked with scared fairy brides who ran away upon finding out that they were pregnant. Though, not all of them were female. There were a few men who whisked away their children after the mother gave birth. Sometimes we had couples coming in together, asking for sanctuary.

In one bedroom, Ryda was having a meeting with one of the children, Kira, a two tailed Kitsune who was still suffering from fear of shadows from being one of Blind Michael's Riders. Kira was a harder case to crack, but they weren't lost. Their parents refused to take them back in when they returned from Blind Michael's lands. If Opal hadn't been around during that one foggy night, Kira might have always been lost.

Everything appeared to be in perfect order for Rogers. He got a cup of coffee while he wrote down his notes. His words spoke of positive influence that I had on the children. When he saw me peeking over his shoulders, he shuffled the papers out of my prying eyes. The smile that he flashed me was flirtatious and I gave my best one back at him.

It was Matt who had a few questions. It was when the questions got personal, more in the realm of Faerie, did Rogers got up from his chair and mutter how he needed to check on something else. I raised an eyebrow at Matt, wanting to ask him if he had enchanted the man before they got inside.

"Is it true that a changeling like you is trying to dig out a knowe from a shallowing?" he hissed. His human disguise flickered with his anger.

I stiffened under his gaze but flashed him an equally intense scowl. "Does it matter?"

"And why are you doing that?" he questioned.

"It's for me," interjected Jasper. Everyone's heads snapped in his direction. He shrugged his shoulders as best as possible under the scrutiny. "We get changelings that are addicted to goblin fruit from time to time. We have to turn them away because we have no connections to the Summerlands, so we have no safe place for them to live."

And die, I thought bitterly. Judging by the expression on Matt's face, he didn't care about the plague of goblin fruit that hit the streets from time to time. Queen Mira and King Barley were willing to help keep it out of the hands of changelings, try to make sure that only purebloods could have it, but it slipped from their grasp from time to time. I couldn't blame them. Niagara was a large area, and with the High King and Queen so close, people would think it would be the safest place, at least for the purebloods.

But there was so much iron in the water. It hurt me sometimes.

"So why don't you just do it?" said Matt, the question was pointed at Opal, the only pureblood, with only Banshee in her blood. "It would be the easiest for you."

"We are a family," snapped Opal, her hands shoved hard on her hips. She was getting angry. I couldn't blame her. I was angry already. The madness was already starting to rise, along with my magic of snow and willow bark. "What one of us plans and needs help with, we join in. She's not alone."

"And how do the King and Queen feel about it?" he questioned.

I wanted to snarl. I think it slipped a little bit through my voice when I spoke, "They approve, obviously. I've been given a grant to be an independent fiefdom once I get it to form a knowe."

That got a look of surprise from Matt. He stared at me, unsure of the next thing to say. He didn't need to, though, for my mother strolled in the front door, practically gliding in with the long silk dress she wore. It was a pale, snowy blue. Our mother was shortly followed by a few of her Hobs, who looked ready to work.

"Hi, Mom," I said. I waved at Matt. "Now is a good time to leave."

"Why?" he asked.

My mother flashed him a wide smile, baring more teeth than she needed. "Because it's my youngest's birthday today, so if you want to stay and celebrate, you will have to be nice."

Matt hesitated, obviously wanting to leave but also uncomfortable by the idea that my mother wanted to celebrate a birthday. Once you are immortal, birthdays seem like such a small thing. But each year my mother was able to one up herself. Opal's birthday was only a couple months ago and my mother got Opal a charm bracelet that was covered in opal stones. It was chanted to help her open any and all doors. With enough force, Opal could now unlock even the most locked knowe or bedroom. Now, in the middle of winter, I wasn't sure what my mother would get me, but the Hobs were a good hint.

"I just have one more question," Matt stated. He was conscious of the look that the room of Banshees was giving him, so he spoke quickly. "Why did you close the Shadow Roads into the house?"

It was Opal who answered that one, over Jasper's barking laugh and my growling. "Well, when the King of Foggy Cats took over, he told her that he would never allow a changeling Cait Sidhe to exist, even to go to the length of killing them himself."

That resulted in a startled look from Matt. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"We have four Cait Sidhe here," I stated. "All of which have been granted sanctuary. Once they get old enough, I help them get to a new Court of Cats that will welcome them. It's happened in the past."

The current King, a nasty man who used to be a close friend, had an extreme hate for the changelings. It went beyond racism and into violence. More than once he had attacked me in public. It was why I had a nice scar on my left inner arm. I used it to protect my throat. The former Queen was a welcoming woman and I was sad to see her go before she could make a new choice. Marcus had been able to hide his violence until a year before his training was over. It wasn't enough time for Allisia to find a new heir. I refused to open the Shadow Roads again until a new leader took over, one that I approved of. The last thing I wanted was to have was to wake to dead bodies in a place that was supposed to be safe.

"Did he really say that?" asked Matt, in almost a whisper. The group nodded their heads in synch.

"It's also why one of us is always with Sapphire," said Jasper. "Marcus hasn't attacked her while we are with our dear little sister."

Before Matt could say any more, Rogers came strolling back into the room. He beamed a large smile at my mother, ignoring the Hobs that were flanking her. They must have had a good don't-look-here spell on them, for while my mother had a human disguise, the Hobs did not.

"Dia!" exclaimed Rogers. "It's so good to see you. How have you been?"

She flashed him a kind smile. "Oh, you know, waiting to become a grandmother again." Her eyes flickered to Jasper and I, both of us groaning at the comment. "I spoil my two already, but I would like at least two more."

Rogers face grew red and he coughed. The comment was pointed at him in such a way to ask, "Why haven't you at least asked my daughter out?" He didn't know what I was or who the children really were here. I wasn't planning on telling him either.

Diamond, Dia while she was in her human disguise, gave him a wave of her hand. "It's actually Sapphire's birthday today. I was hoping you would be gone so I could celebrate with her."

His head swiveled towards me, a look of shock on his face. "What? It's your birthday? Why didn't you say so? This was a planned visit! I didn't even bring you anything."

I pursed my lips together. "Oh, it's alright. I'm sure that my mother has enough planned that I won't need gifts from anyone else."

The expression on his face told me that he wasn't believing a word I said, but he still shrugged his shoulders. "I get done at five if you would like me to stop over later on."

He was already forcing me to be up at eight am with it only being noon now. He should be lucky I wasn't clawing his throat out for forcing me out of bed so early in my usual schedule. Hell, the smile on my mother's face would have been enough to make him back away and leave without a second comment.

"We should leave them to the family celebration," said Matt, coming to the rescue. The two men left shortly after that.

Once we were sure that they were out the door and far away that we could drop our human disguises was when I turned towards my mother. Without her human disguise, she was still a beautiful woman, with long dark blonde hair that she preferred to have braided and pushed over one shoulder. Her eyes were almost crystal like, glinting with multiple different colors. The don't-look-here spell was dropped as well and it was easier to look at the Hobs.

"Hey, Mom," I said, this time addressing my mother with earnest and exhaustion. "You're early."

"I heard that you were trying to get a knowe set up," said Diamond, smiling at me with kindness. "I brought you some help. Durk and his kids offered as well as Belinda. With their help, hopefully the knowe will be formed by tonight."

The Hobs all flashed me a smile. There were four of them total. Even if they weren't fully willing to help dig it out, once the knowe was open, there was a good chance that it would need to be cleaned. I was able to get a few rooms formed, but it was still anchored to the human realm rather than to the Summerlands. Just a little more of a push and I'm sure it would open up. I was sure of it.

"Where are the changelings addicted to the goblin fruit being held while you are building the knowe?" asked Diamond.

"Most of them are sent back out on the streets," I said, cringing at the thought. "There are a few that are willing to let Jasper work on their addicted bodies before the goblin fruit leaves them as nothing more than a walking carcass."

There was a quick birthday celebration before we wandered to the back of the house, where the shallowing was. The back door into the yard was going to be the main entrance. Another entrance would be from the gate that led into the yard. We were still tinkering on making sure a human couldn't get into the knowe, so knocking on the door three times opened up into the shallowing instead of the yard.

We pulled at the magic in it, forming rooms and spaces. I willed and commanded it to open up into the Summerlands. I was starting to get a headache, forcing myself to work far more than I wanted to. Hours went by, Opal gave me a bottle of Tylenol and I popped two before going back to work. Magic burn sucks, but I couldn't quit now.

At around two in the morning, there was a large pop and a rush of dizziness. I collapsed into my siblings arms. Once I was able to refocus, I was staring at a very empty knowe. We did it.

I had a knowe.

Now, would it respond to me? Or was I too human and would it deny me?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The knowe was built. I couldn't believe it. I had been so exhausted once I got done building the rooms that I didn't realize that there were people already bustling in and out of the areas. I had built thirty bedrooms orginally, but seeing some of the more Fae changelings enjoying the knowe more than they enjoyed the house, I had a feeling I was going to need more bedrooms. Tomorrow, though. For now, the kitchen, bedrooms, and a large ballroom were built. There was a plan for more, but I didn't have the energy. Now that it was more than just a shallowing, the knowe could help me build more, expand if needed. They were alive in the aspect that they responded to my magic.

A magic burn headache was starting to become a migraine. At some point, Opal had put a bottle of Tylenol next to me with a large glass of water. Once I was coherent enough, I gulped down the water with a few pain pills. It didn't kick in immediately, so I continued to relax in one of the bedrooms. It was dark, it was cold, and it was quiet. It was all that I needed at that moment.

At some point, I had gotten up to check on the changelings who were in the knowe now. Most of them were changelings who were addicted to goblin fruit, the ones who wouldn't last very long with the addiction but were willing to fight it enough to get Jasper some information on how to help them. He hasn't gotten far, of course. He was a mixed pure blood, but still a pure blood. He could only go off of what they were feeling at the moment. At least some of them were willing to eat. Keeping the food down was the hardest part so far. A few were willing to eat _something _as long as we mixed it with a little goblin fruit. Toast? Goblin fruit jam on top. Not long ago, Jasper thought that he found the part of the fruit that made it so addicting to changelings, but it had failed. It worked for a few days, at least. Those changelings lasted a week before things went downwards.

Once the headache subsided, I wandered around my brand new knowe. Decorations were starting to go up. Tapestries had been made for my family line. There wasn't much to go up, though. My mother Diamond was the original choice for the sensenchaul to the King and Queen. She had turned it down, but was given a knowe to command instead. She sat alone in the tapestry. The next one was of her meeting each father and giving birth to each of one of her children, with Opal at the highest point and I was at the bottom. The next one was of me, at fourteen years old, holding a dying changeling that had been shot by an elf shot. It was then that I vowed to open a safe place for changelings to live. The next was the meeting with the King and Queen, with them nodding their heads in agreement. I didn't have to fight them as hard as I thought I had to.

There was one room that had been made into a small office. It wasn't much, so far. Ryda was in there with one of her patients. One of Blind Michael's victims was there, talking slowly about their encounters. They were a Bannick with some of the visible scars of Blind Michael's work, like fur on his hands that didn't belong. It appeared to be a reminder that wasn't allowing them to heal properly. Ryda's work was starting to show and the kids were starting to heal.

She had seen me poking my head through the window. With a small wave, she ended the session with the Bannick child. Once he left the room, the marks of Blind Michael's influence disappeared. Illusion magic that Ryda had cast earlier faded once the meeting was over. The kid gave me a smile before running off. They weren't that old looking. I'm not sure they were older and Blind Michael had corrupted their bodies. I wasn't sure if they were going to recover entirely, but Ryand was doing a great job.

"Hey, I wanted to talk about training more psychologists to help me out," she said, getting abrupt and to the point. Ryda is Ellyllon and it was starting to show that she was going to molt soon. Wrinkles were forming on her face and color was disappearing in her hair which was currently thrown into a tight bun on the top of her head.

"Sure," I said. "Will I have to pay them or are you going to reach out to other healers to get them trained?"

"I'm going to approach the King and Queen at the next party." A sly smile was on her face. "Which will be tonight, Countess."

The phrase was so new to me that I cringed. I was going to have to get used to it, though. I was technically a Countess already, when the knowe was just nothing more than a shallowing. I refused to be a called a Countess until the day came when it fit better into place, became a permanent part of Faerie. Today was that day, the day of my birth. My mother was surely going to be proud when I walked into the court, announced my title properly and took the full responsibility on my shoulders.

Ryda must have seen the turmoil on my face for she put her hands on my shoulders. I was short. Ryda was slightly shorter, but I was definitely below average height. I think I got that from my mother than I got from my father, for my father was roughly six feet in height while my mother was about five foot two.

"Countess Sapphire," she said, sternly. "You are one of the best Banshees that I have ever known. Opal failed at being a Countess because she didn't know how to run it all without being forceful. You are kind, thoughtful, and willing to fight for both sides, Faerie and mortal. Somehow you have found a balance. You work best for these changelings."

I flashed her a smile that I hoped was genuine. Instead the muscles made me feel like it was strained. "You are far too kind."

"I still don't know what to name the County, though," I said. "In Faerie, it should be walking distance from the King and Queen."

"Well, let's go see if the waterfall is there." The smile that she gave me was soft and reassuring.

The waterfall. I had forgotten about the waterfall. It was one of the major reasons why the knowe was taking so long to build. I was forcing the world of the Summerlands to be built around the idea that I had, including a large waterfall a lot like Niagara Falls. It was the biggest part of the knowe that was going to overlap the other knowes in a way. My mother had started a river to help me out, as well as Queen Mira and King Barley. Another river was flowing as well, but I was not sure where it was coming from. The direction was from Toronto, just across the border between the Falls in the mortal realm. It could have been from the High King and High Queen, but I doubted it. Why would they help a little independent fiefdom form?

We went out on to a balcony that had formed at some point. I had not built it. My mother had not built it. The knowe must have known that it was needed. It looked out into the twilight sky of the Summerlands. The sky was twinkling with stars. And the sound of large rushing water could be heard. I almost cried when I saw the large rushing waterfall beneath me, leading to a large lake not too far away.

This was the dream. The Summerlands didn't need to respond to what I wanted. But it did. And when I looked down at the lake, I swore I saw a woman swimming in it, but instead of legs, she had a long serpent like tail.

"Who is that?" I asked.

Ryda followed my gaze. Her eyebrows knitted together as she watched the woman swim. "I haven't the faintest clue. Does not look like a Merrow. Can't be. It's fresh water."

"Are there freshwater versions of Merrow?" I questioned.

My answer was a shrug. "I'm not familiar with the water Fae as much as the land ones. I help the land, not the water. They have their own healers, they don't need the Ellowyne."

"Right. . ." I backed away. "Well, hopefully she isn't angry that I moved her when I wanted the waterfall to be here."

The smell of the water felt like home. And it was making me far more relaxed than I was before.

"Darling," said a voice behind me. I turned to gaze at my mother. She was smiling. "My Hobs are done working. We are going home to get ready for the ball, but I do have another gift for you. Keep an eye out for them."

"Them?" I echoed. "Mother, you can't give me your people."

"Don't worry, they volunteered," she said cheerfully. And with that said, Diamond turned away, throwing her human disguise back on without a moment of hesitation. Her magic of fresh snow and evergreen disappeared quickly with the breeze. I watched her go for a moment before turning and looking for the serpent woman.

She was gone from view. I do not know how deep the lake was. I gazed around, seeing snow fall in the distance in all directions, coming from the other kingdoms that surrounded me. No snow was falling right now, but when I thought about it, I could see clouds forming to allow it to fall. I now knew what I wished to name my new fiefdom.

"Changelings' Home," I said barely higher than a whisper. Ryda glanced at me, an approving expression on her face. I rested a hand on her shoulder. "You go rest. I can tell that you are about to molt. Relax in one of the spare rooms. You can lock it and no one will disturb you."

"You are too kind," she said, avoiding the words thank you in the process. I always hated the stupid rule. But I gave her a smile with a nod as well.

Now it was time to get ready for the ball. It wasn't a celebration of the Yuletide, that had already come and passed. It was getting close to Christmas in the mortal world. I still needed to put a tree. Though, I didn't feel like doing so, since barely any of my changelings wanted to celebrate.

I needed more coffee, though, if I was going to survive the day without any sleep. The inspection had taken too much of the morning already. It was already five. Darkness was descending outside. The party was going to start soon, at six. I needed to get ready quickly.

The person in my kitchen forced me to stop and stare. Matt, the person who I had mistaken for Daoine Sidhe earlier had dropped his human disguise. His hair was no longer just red. There were shades of white mixed in. His eyes were soft brown and he gazed at me with something that made me stand there nervously. He must have used the spell recently, because I could smell his magic. Fennel and sun baked clay.

"What are you doing here still?" I asked. I moved slowly to the coffee maker, pressing a hand on it to refill it with simple hearth magic. I wasn't all that good at it,the coffee was going to taste like shit, but I wasn't turning my back on Matt in the moment.

"I need to talk to you," he said. The earlier sternness in his voice was gone and replaced with something that I was more familiar with hearing from the than from a pureblooded Fae. Admiration. It made me queasy hearing it from him.

I rested my hip against the cupboard and my hands on the counter. My expression should have said, "Please, continue." When he didn't add anything, I waved my hand in a circular motion, telling him to keep talking.

"I heard stories about you," he said. "I come from the Midwest, from the Kingdom of Starfall. There's a pureblooded Cait Sidhe that came from your care. I met her."

I straightened at that comment. Then I bared my teeth at him, hissing, "If you hurt Silvia I swear I will break Oberon's Law right here and right now."

Cu Sidhe. He was Cu Sidhe. It was more evident now. A few had come to my aid when Marcus took over, but none had stayed. Not long at least. They had their own agendas that they wanted to take care of before they took of my kids and I. Cu Sidhe and Cait Sidhe have never gotten along. They were enemies since the dawn of Faerie. Knowing that he had been in contact with Silvia, a pureblooded Cait Sidhe who stayed in my care when Marcus took over, made my skin crawl. She felt like she could take down Marcus and I agreed with her. But nowhere here was going to offer that. I told her to go West, hopefully she was going to end up in California, where wealth was rich and the Cait Sidhe were on the streets everywhere. If I believed Matt's words, she only made it to the Rocky Mountain area.

He threw his hands in the air. "Whoa, not what I meant. We got along for the short amount of time that we talked. She's become the second Princess of the local cats. I saw a picture of the two of you by accident. She told me what you were doing here. She was so proud and happy. Told me that she was going to come back and challenge Marcus and kill him. Once she took over, she promised that she was going to be the first Queen of Cats to be friendly with the Divided Courts. Your Divided Court, specifically."

Matt handed me a photo that he had tucked away in his pocket. It was a copy of a photograph that I had taken. It was of me standing next to a tall muscular woman with long black hair held back in a thick braid. Her skin was dark, a lot like the twilight sky of the Summerlands. Her eyes were a piercing yellow. In her cat form, Silvia was a pure black cat with yellow eyes. The colors were dulled in this copy, but I had the original with all the pure pigments. I smiled softly at the picture. She was twenty two in the photograph. Her birthday was in November, on Thanksgiving this year. She was now twenty three.

"She said that you were once knighted as well, but no longer use the title," said Matt. His voice was hesitant, like he didn't want to interrupt what was happening, even if it was a photo with memories. "I wanted to know why."

I didn't want to tell him. I really didn't. I didn't know Matt, and even if he knew Silvia, I wasn't there for the encounter. There was no reason why I had to tell him why. Though it didn't stop the memory from coming to my mind. Me, on the battlefield with my bow and arrows laced with elf-shot. I was accurate. My shots never missed. I hit only purebloods and avoided the changelings. I was only thirteen when I was on the field as a squire, next to my knight. He was shot down that day. It was only elf-shot and he as a pureblood would wake up in about ninety years. I was knighted for my efforts. Once I worked for the effort to become a Countess, I refused to let anyone call me Sir Sapphire Letty. I was now Countess Sapphire. That was it. I never deserved to be knighted. I was too young and foolish.

And I was alone.

"I find Countess to be better suited," I stated.

"You were sad there for a moment," he said. "Why?"

I wrinkled my nose at him. My coffee pot let out a long beep, signalling that it was finished. I still did not turn my back to him.

"Why are you here?" I asked. "Did Silvia ask you to come here?"

Now I was witnessing Matt dancing on his feet, trying to avoid my gaze. His cheeks were becoming flushed. I wanted to demand again, stronger. Maybe if I forced some of my Banshee heritage into the demand. Banshees could force anyone to do anything with enough force. It made us terrifying rulers that way. Instead I moved away from the cupboards and stood in front of him. I forced him to look at my face. His face grew even more red and his eyes grew wide.

"I could force you to tell me," I said. "But I want you to tell me on your own."

The words came out far more harsh than I wanted them to. I could see him flinch and I mentally beat at myself for not trying to be nicer.

"I think I'm in love with you," he blurted out.

I blinked. Once. Twice. Then, I bellowed, "What!?"

I took a couple steps backwards. That must have been enough for him, because Matt began spewing words out. "Silvia and I were fighting when the photo fell out of her pocket. She took advantage of the situation and started talking about you. Each word, each action you took, everything made me fall in love with the image that she was creating. I just. . . I had to come see you."

I rubbed a hand across my face, trying to process it all. It was ridiculous. It had to be. But the way that he was gazing at me made it seem all too real at that moment.

"Got any other secrets to tell me?" I questioned.

"My name isn't Matt."

Breathing in deeply, I shrieked, "Then what is it?"

"Tart."

Coffee. I needed coffee. Without even thinking, I turned my back towards Tart. My hands were shaking as I poured a cup. Extra hands came around with sugar and seasonal flavored creamer. It was peppermint mocha at this time of the year. I whirled around to see Matt‒no, wait, Tart‒ smiling towards me. We were far too close for me to be comfortable. The excitement on his face was like a new puppy coming home. I, however, needed space. Much more space. I pressed my hands against his chest and shoved him away. He stumbled backwards but didn't fall down.

"No," I said, shaking a finger at him. I felt like I was scorning a dog in that moment. And the look on his face was telling me that he was hurt and didn't understand why. "I don't even know you. You can't just spring this on me."

"Why not? Purebloods get married on whims. Why can't a pureblood and a changeling do the same thing?"

I rubbed my shaking hands across my face, trying to process things without going crazy. The madness was rising. "Oh Titania's teeth, where is Opal when I need her?" Her tea would calm me down and she would definitely have more strength to kick out Tart.

He was frowning at me. "You don't look so good."

"I need you to leave," I commanded. "Right now. I don't want to see you until after the ball. Do you understand?"

"But‒"

"Now!" I shouted. My magic rose around me in response to my madness. Even if Tart wanted to stay in the room, he was forced to leave with my Banshee scream.

I watched him leave the house before I made my way upstairs, fresh coffee in my hands. Only two bedrooms were upstairs. Mine and Jasper's. There was an office, too. The silence helped me focus. I made my way to my bedroom, brushing my free hand on the wall until I flicked on the light. My room bathed in light from the light above the bed. It was a double, more room for myself alone but I slept in the middle anyway. In a corner was a dresser with a lamp sitting on top of it. On the other side of the bed was a vanity where I applied my makeup and did my hair. To the left of all that was my closet. I dropped my coffee cup on my vanity before going through my closet.

My mind was still reeling from the interaction with Tart. I was barely even focusing on my choices as I thought. No one has ever confessed their love towards me. There was Lilith when I was young. A red skinned, forked tail girl who was my best friend when I lived with my mother in her court. One day she had asked if we could be more than friends. I wasn't sure what she was asking at the time, I was too young to understand. The next day when I wanted to ask her what she meant, I found out that she had left to find more of her own kind, a species that she thought had been wiped out with the fear and rise of Christianity.

I grabbed my glittering dark blue dress, with a V-neck line and mid-sleeves. It fell in a mermaid style, clinging to all of my curves. Not that I needed my curves to stand out. I had a natural hourglass shape. The worst part was finding shirts that fit properly most of the time. The dress was made from spider silk, though, so it fit no matter how much I changed. I wiggled myself into the dress. Once that was done, I sat down at my vanity and drank the rest of my coffee before digging through my makeup.

My curling iron warmed up as I picked out colors. My skin was far too pale for foundation, so I stuck to moisturizing my face and putting on some light pink blush. I stuck to pink for my eyeshadow and layered on some mascara. I created a thick layer of winged liner. My lipstick was a shade darker than my natural lip color.

A knock made me pause as I started curling my hair. "Come in!" I shouted.

Jasper's head popped in. He was already dressed and appeared to be ready to go. He wore one of his favorite button up shirts in a frosted blue color with a dark blue almost black vest on top. His slacks were pure black with freshly shined shoes.

"Hey, you almost ready?" he asked. "The Queen might not mind if you are late but I don't want to be."

"Traveling to the knowe through the Summerlands would be easier and quicker," I said. I hissed as I burnt my hand with the device.

Jasper came into the room and brushed a hand against my hair, whispering something that vaguely sounded Welsh. My hair tightened and twisted as his magic rose around us. It smelled of icy dew and poppy. Once he was finished, it popped around us and my hair was freshly curled.

"You did a really good job," I said, avoiding the word thanks. I wanted to say it, anyway.

He held out a hand towards me. "Let's go celebrate the ball and rub it in the faces of other purebloods that a changeling is a Countess."

I smiled and took his hand.

Time to impress.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

When Jasper and I descended down the stairs, all of my kids were gathered at the front door, talking away to someone that I just could not see over all the heads that were blocking the way. As I approached them, heads began to turn.

The first kids to notice me were the youngest, Scott, Paavo, and Pedro. They were all about eight to ten in age and all arriving on my doorstep around the same time or at least in the same year. Scott was the first, arriving one night. I don't even know how he got in, but he was discovered by Kelley as she went into the kitchen. He's the only one who has gotten through my defenses. His spikey hedgehog hair was what tipped me off that he belonged and went looking for me. Only a couple weeks later did Paavo arrive, wide eyed and his Satyr hooves clumping on my doorstep. He had a knapsack over one shoulder and bruises on his arms. Apparently his protective baby magic had faded and the father who blamed his mother for leaving kicked the kid out. I'm sure that there were other things based on the bruises, but I didn't mention them.

Number one rule with the kids, if there is something that they don't want to talk about, do not push it. Sometimes they will come to me in an hour, a week, and, for a few, years later. But to have them pushed to say something they don't want to will result in mistrust or zero communication.

I'm Fae. But I'm also human. Both matter.

Pedro's appearance still makes me sad. He showed up one stormy night. It was early spring so the snow was still dotting the ground and fog was swirling and filling the night. He knocked softly, hesitantly, at my front door. A wet little Glastig. He barely spoke English, but I was able to understand most of what he was trying to say with my own little knowledge of Spanish. He came all the way from Mexico, at the age of six, and arrived at my doorstep. I don't know how he did it. He came alone to my stoop. He asked for sanctuary. That was it. I thought he wouldn't stay long, but he's been here for three years now and doesn't look to be leaving soon.

Kelley, Chloe, and Bella were the next to turn and see me. There was also another face that while was not one of my kids was still familiar. It was Henry, with his fluffy gray hair and a pin of a white feather in it. He gave me a small, sly smile. He knew he wasn't supposed to be here, but the Swan-man was persistent to hang out with Kelley when he knew I wasn't going to be around. I was ready to yell at him, but when I saw the look on Kelley's face, I knew that she hadn't expected him to stop over either.

And she wasn't happy. Her emerald colored hair was sticking up in places that shouldn't, at least not after she brushed her hair after waking up. She had a habit of pulling at it. Kelley was my Daoine Sidhe. I do believe that she is the only blood worker in my house at the moment. Kelley was almost sixteen and teaching her to drive was becoming a nightmare.

Both Chloe and Bella were my Cait Sidhe. In their cat forms, they were both calico. Chloe had more white than Bella, and Bella had a half moon shape in black near her tail. I wasn't expecting them to stay for long, but after Marcus took over, he made it obvious that he wasn't going to tolerate having changelings in his court. So, their mother came to my door, begging to give the kids sanctuary. She also told me that the only way that they were going to stay with me for good was if Marcus kills her. They were now fifteen, arriving when they were ten. I still hope that their mother is okay, but I was starting to lose hope.

Zeke and Abbey were the last ones to turn around and stopped chatting with the person at the door. Zeke, with his sly smirk, was naturally dark. His eyes were what gave him away as Tuthan de Dannon. They were a bright gold color. He also liked to teleport around the house and scare me. Abbey was. . . Abbey was. . .

Abbey used to be a Selkie. Now she was too human so she wore fairy ointment on her eyes. I don't know her whole story. She can't get through most of it without crying. All I know is that somehow her skin was torn. The magic was destroyed. I always thought that Selkies were family oriented, but her parents had given her a choice; stay and face the wrath of their first born or leave with the broken skin and try to figure things out. Apparently she had tried to stay home but it wasn't really an option. My mother had been the one who found her, wandering around near her domain, blind and clutching her broken seal skin. Diamond brought her to me and we figured out what to do from there. She was sixteen when she first arrived and now as twenty-one. She stuck to staying at the house while she was in college, working hours at a local restaurant to pay for groceries.

There was a sound, a small pop, to my left, telling me that a Candela had arrived. I barely paid any heed. There were only two Candelas that I knew. Wick and his daughter Murmur. Murmur liked to use my place as a hide away from her father and her father was fine with it because he knew that she was close.

Wick was a good man. He was my mother's most trusted knight and he was training one of my former kids, Pen, to be a knight as well. Being a father was new to him, though, and being a father to a teenager was tougher than he thought it could ever be. Murmur's mother had been human as well. When Murmur chose Fae, the house had burned to the ground. Her mother was at work and she believed that her daughter and husband were killed in it while they were preparing for the bus and school day. So, when a fight ensued, Murmur came to me to pout and Wick would come a few hours later to pick her up.

I didn't pay attention to Murmur, though, as I looked around the space by the door. Akari, my Kitsune, wasn't around and neither was Tay now that I thought about it, my single residential Hob. I couldn't see the other two Cait Sidhe kids, but I could hear meowing from somewhere. And the kids were all wearing the livery that I had picked out but had yet to put into production. The clothing was made up of a soft yellow color with violet swirled in. The symbol I had picked was of one Fae ear, long and pointed with a rounded human ear on the other side of it with stitching to connect the two. There was a sapphire gem underneath as well, something that Opal told me was needed.

Before I could ask where they got the clothing, the person at the door began to push their way through the crowd. Any words that were in my throat died away. The dark skinned woman with glossy black hair dropped both of the bags that she had, one that was gripped in her left hand and the other was over her shoulder. There was a look of relief on her face.

"Silvia!" I gasped, dropping my grip from Jasper's and rushing over to Silvia's side.

"Momma!" she shouted in return, jumping into the air and changing into a black cat before landing in my arms. Her head butted against my chin.

Silvia was the most unique of all of my kids. When I was a little girl, I found a small, meowing kitten out in the cold. She was barely old enough to open her eyes. I brought her inside, insisting on keeping her. My father couldn't say no to me, but I had to take care of the kitten. I stayed with the kitten for months, waking up each time a small yowl was uttered. She went from barely being able to survive to a thriving cat. It wasn't until she was five years old did she change into a little girl. That was a surprise. I don't remember what she had said, but she changed only because she wanted to say something specific to me. We took her to a shadow filled alley where not even the homeless would get near and shouted for someone. What we weren't expecting was the Queen of Cats to answer. She tried to take Silvia with her, but she clung to my arm, claiming me to be her mother. I didn't know what to do. The Queen let her stay with me, though, as long as I allowed someone to come around and teach her how to be a Cait Sidhe. We agreed. So, Silvia stayed with me, until she had to leave for some more training.

"Wait, wait, wait," I finally said, dropping the cat on to the floor. "What are you doing here?" While I was happy to see her, I had assumed that she was never going to come back.

She meowed at me.

"Oh, no, don't you dare," I scolded her with a wag of my finger. "You will talk to me in a way that I can understand."

There was a huff and the cat became a woman. A woman who refused to look me in the eye. But with my hands shoved on my hips and the kids crowding around her wanting to know the same thing, she had nowhere to go. So, Silvia looked at me with the same look that she gave me when she first left, defiance and determination.

"I am going to challenge Marcus," she said, head tilted up and her eyes steely. "He doesn't deserve his throne and needs to be challenged."

"Silvia-"

"I am a Princess," she said before I could get anymore out. "I have the training."

"Proper and full training?" I asked. She refused to look me in the eye. "Silvia. . ."

"She's here," interrupted Kelley. "Her room is still the same. Why not let her stay whether or not she had the training or was just spending time doing whatever?"

I glanced over at Jasper, looking for some sort of support. He simply shrugged his shoulders. Not sure of what to do next, I gave a long exasperated sigh.

"Fine, fine," I responded, waving my hands here and there. "Jasper and I have to go to a party. Unpack, relax, there's some clam chowder from dinner last night in the fridge, you can reheat that."

Silvia brightened. "Can I come to the party?"

That started a chorus of all the kids demanding to come to the party. All except for Abbey, who was trying to slip out the door, muttering something about work. The jingling of her keys were evident that she was leaving, but I don't remember her being scheduled today. The shouting around me I had a hard time trying to figure out if she had told me if she was called in or not.

I raised my hands up in the air in defeat. "Okay! Okay, just remember this is not the mortal world. Do you guys remember your Fae edict?"

Half of the group nodded while the other half looked puzzled. I sighed and rubbed my hand against my neck. The look I gave Jasper was desperate. He simply shrugged his shoulders, with a look on his face that said, "These are your kids, you handle it."

I breathed in and out, trying to find an equilibrium. Resting my hands on my hips, I finally stated. "Fine, alright. The ones who do not feel comfortable communicating with the Fae at the party will go and hang in the kitchen. The Hobs that Queen Mira have are familiar with you guys enough that they will take care of you. The rest of you will stay close enough to me that if anything happens, you can find me easily. Got it?"

Multiple head bobs in response.

"Alright, let's go, then, we are late enough to be fashionably late, but if we dawdle anymore, the Queen will not be happy."

I wondered if we were going to need to get the other kids, but when I turned around, Akira and Tay as well. Tay had an article of clothing in her hands. It appeared to be another livery, fitted perfectly for Silvia. I wasn't sure if Silvia was going to come with us fully, but after she snuck away and changed while I lead the kids to the door to the knowe, there wasn't any doubt after that.

The kids followed instructions easily. The younger ones held hands as Jasper and I led them away from the knowe and Summerland. I noticed pixies flying around the land and finding places to get into the knowe. That was good. That was healthy.

Some of the kids were shivering as the snow fell around us. The Summerland and the mortal world were usually different enough that while it was snowing in the mortal world it could be summer in the Summerlands. Other than the continuous purple twilight, it was just as nippy as it would have if we walked outside. I should have warned them.

A splashing from the water made everyone turn their attention to a large serpent woman swimming around.

"Who is that?" asked Paavo.

"Don't know," I said. "But don't bother her, okay? The water seems to be just big and deep enough for her to enjoy herself."

The Summerland entrance to Queen Mira's land changed from snowing to blooming spring weather. Snow was melting in my hair and cloak. A quick glance over my shoulder showed that everyone was experiencing the same thing. By the time we stepped into the deeper parts of her garden, we were completely dry.

The Queen's gardens were not as fancy as they could be. There were mostly just flowers that could stand even the harshest soils growing around us. I spotted a couple of snowdrops littering the ground. Wild and rampant lilies of the valley were spreading into the territory of violets. Vines climbed on the walls around us. With the weather conditions of the mortal world, Blodynbryd did not live in the area. They and what they grew were difficult to thrive here. The roses would die and so would they. It was a depressing thought, so I tried to push it away.

Right out of the gardens were marble stairs. Climbing up them would lead into the main chambers. If we went up them all the way, we would reach the herald, who would announce us. But the kids split up right before that, the younger ones holding hands and giggling as they went to the kitchen through a hidden servant passage that led off from the stairs.

The kids that stayed were Silvia, Zeke, and Kelley. Less than I had thought, but they were the most behaved and courteous of all the kids.

When we got to the top of the stairs, we were standing at the very top of another pair of stairs, looking down at a crowded party. Soft music played from the band at the very far end. The herald saw me and gave me a wide grin.

"So, is it finally Countess Sapphire or should I just announce you as you?" he asked.

Horvish, one of my old kids. I gave him a smile. "The knowe is no longer a shallowing. I finally have accepted my title as Countess."

He flashed me a wide grin before bellowing, with whatever magical charm he had to allow his voice to fill the room, "Countess Sapphire of the-"

"Changeling Home."

"Of the Changeling Home, escorted by her brother Jasper and three children; Zeke, Silvia, and Kelley!"

The room fell silent as we walked down the stairs. My hand rested on the elbow of my brother's while I held tightly to any loose fabric that I could end up getting tangled in and tripping over. Two hands rested on my back. A quick glance told me that Silvia and Kelley held fists of my dress, their heads held high. Zeke walked normally, but I could see the stiffness in his spine and the worry in his eyes. A pop confirmed that Murmur was behind us as well. There was a small sound from Horvish, confirming that he was not expecting that.

Then, once we reached the bottom, Queen Mira was there to greet us.

Sea Wights are their own form of terrifying. Her long black hair looked like an oil spill, with shots of rainbow where the light hit. Her eyes were a deep blue color, reminding me of the deepest parts of the ocean. She had claws for hands, though I think that was more for show with them being above the sea. Her son didn't have them. But her skin was pale and an odd color of gray, like she was a person who had been drowned at sea.

She flashed me a smile. "Sapphire, you are the second group of your family to arrive. I believe your mother is going to wait until I have to send a courtier to her little sanctuary to fetch her and your father."

Then she glanced over at Murmur. "Oh, hello, dear. Your father is already here with his knight."

The frown on Murmur's face confirmed that she did not want to see her father for the moment, including her two dancers who flashed around her.

"Go help yourself to some of the food spread," I said, resting a hand on her arm. "I'll talk to your father."

I grew up with Wick. I knew how he acted. If I had to ask him something about a fight between him and Murmur, most of the questions could be responded with a nod or a shake of the head. His merry dancers were also good at telling me the answers. He had three, the most that I have ever seen from a Candela. They spun around him in almost an infinity loop most of the time.

Everyone seemed to disperse around us, leaving me alone with Queen Mira, who was still smiling.

"So, you got the knowe up and running? And even on your birthday," she said.

I gave her a quick curtsy, nodding my head ever so slightly. "Yes, your highness."

She gave me a harsh shove in the shoulder, making me stumble back in the pose. I got back to my feet and gazed at her with both bafflement and amusement.

"Still don't like having people curtsy?" I asked, a smile twitching at my lips. "It's been over ten years since you took over."

"And ten years adjusting," she said, a click of her tongue. "Even Taro doesn't like being called a prince."

"And that's why he gave up the throne and gave it to his sister," I said, peering over her shoulder to the dias.

Queen Mira's husband, King Barley, was a full Daoine Sidhe. They had married shortly after she had taken the throne with war. It wasn't until after she fought for the right to keep the throne. Their daughter, Odessa, was a tall girl at only seven years old. She was sent somewhere to the Undersea as blind fosterage. Where, I wasn't sure. She had enough Sea Wight in her to breathe underwater. And enough Daoine Sidhe that if someone bled in the water, she could use her blood magic. King Barley was not happy about that, apparently he wanted her to go to California, where the strongest and bravest Daoine Sidhe resided. But it was Odessa's decision. She wanted to be around the Undersea.

There was something about King Barley that had always unnerved me. He was always scowling. Especially at me, where his face grew more sour. I had a feeling that he felt like changelings were beneath his feet, and changelings that tried to climb the ladder of Fae standing were even worse. I had been a knight when we met.

"Go dance," whispered Mira, smiling at me. "I think Taro is looking for you as well."

I wasn't sure if she was playing matchmaker again or if Taro really was looking for me, so I simply shot her a quick look, one that I hoped said that she better not be lying.

All I got in response was laughter and a wave of her hand as she walked away.

It didn't take long to find Taro. He was at the very edge of the party, trying to turn down women as they came up looking for a dance from him. His face brightened when he saw me and he pushed the women away to get to me quicker. Those women were not happy with me at that moment.

"Hello, Prince Taro," I said, giving him a curtsy. Though, with this one, I puckered out my lips and wiggled my nose at him.

He took one of my hands with a laugh. "Countess Sapphire. You are as lovely as ever."

"As are you."

Prince Taro was a unique Sea Wight. He didn't have the gray pallor like his mother, but he was pale. There were no freckles that dotted his skin, like the ones that dotted mine. When we were kids, he tried to count every single freckle on my skin. He lost count somewhere around three hundred and quit trying after that. His hair was a unique dark purple, taking on the color of the root that he was named after. His eyes were like algae, a mix of green and blue with shocks of golden brown that flickered around the edges.

Being the Prince and of marrying age, he was swatting women away each and every day. His response was challenging each and every girl in a way that they could never do. He challenged Maeve's children to perform perfect flower magic and Titania's children to do water magic. Each one has failed miserably to his standards. I have seen more than one of them crying as they left the main chambers or the gardens. And he gave me a challenge once, when I teased him about the girls.

If I got rid of my humanity, he would marry me.

The flash of a smile he gave me as he spun me around in a circle showed those sharp pearly white teeth of his.

"So," he growled lightly, leaning in too close. "Do tell me what has been happening lately."

"You saw me yesterday," I said, groaning. "You gave me a bouquet of shrimp."

"Oh, that reminds me." Taro leaned in until I could feel his breath on my neck. "Happy birthday, dear gem of the sea."

Gem of the sea. Oh, it's been a while since I heard him say that.

"Silvia came home today, too," I said. "Right after I got a really weird visit from a Cu Sidhe from the same area she went to be an apprentice."

"Not a Princess? I thought that she had potential to be."

With a frown, I stood as tall as I could, I whispered, "She wants to challenge Marcus."

His eyes grew wide. "What? Do you think she can?" Then, he paused. "The Shadow Roads are open here. I would tell you to be careful, but you are with me."

I glanced around the party. The only one who was alone appeared to be Silvia, who was stalking the shadows in the far corner near a pillar.

"She's strong," I said. "I think that she can handle herself in a fight. But Marcus. . .he's. . .I don't trust him to fight fair."

"Is there really anything fair about a fight for the throne?" asked Taro with a wistful smile. Then it faded. "There's something bothering you. Is it the visit from the Cu Sidhe fella?"

I nodded my head. "He knew too much about Silvia. It bothered me."

That got Taro to frown. "He knew about Silvia?"

"Yeah, and stuff about me. Claimed that he was in love with me."

"Please tell me you used that badass Banshee command scream and got him the hell out of there."

I nodded my head. "But it still makes my skin crawl. Something doesn't add up about him. Why is he here for one thing? And why is he working with Rogers?"

That got some anger from Taro. "The mortal that comes and checks up on the kids? Oh sweet Maeve. Do you want some help at putting up some spells to ward him out?"

"I didn't get a good trace on his magic," I said. "I couldn't tell you. It's Kelley that needs to be around to get a perfect spell set. If we put a ward up, we would have to do a general against Cu Sidhe spell."

He frowned at me. "Why him?"

"I don't know," I whispered.

The song was ending and he let me down in a deep dip before righting me. I smelled the magic shortly before a teen body collided with mine.

"Sapphire! I'm so happy to see you!"

Pen's squeal filled my ears as I laughed. Behind him, Wick was there as well as Topaz. My nephew was grinning from ear to ear.

"Aunt Fire, it's good to see you," he said, going in for a hug after Pen released me.

The bouncing squire was still smiling. Originally, he had wanted to be my squire when he learned that at one point, I was a knight. I had given up that title after the war and Queen Mira had allowed me. Considering that the former King had allowed children to fight in his army was one of the biggest reasons. I wasn't the youngest changeling to be in that three day war. But it was good to see him, to see him healthy and happy. He was under my mother's care under a blind fosterage. He came from somewhere from Scotland, his thick accent still came out when he talked and it was so hard to understand him when he spoke quickly.

But it was Topaz I wanted to focus on. He was grinning at me, but there was something in his eyes that made me think that something was wrong. He had a classic Banshee look, with black hair no longer than his ears but it puffed out like fluff. There was a redness around the corners of his eyes, showing me that he had been crying recently. His eyes were a glassy blue, which is why Opal named him Topaz.

"Topaz?" I asked.

"Can I talk to you?" He glanced around at the small group and then to the rest of the dance floor. I had realized that we had been standing in the middle, blocking the bodies around us.

"Sure, yeah. Let's find a table and something to eat."

My nephew took my arm and led me away. I glanced back to see three pairs of male eyes watching us carefully. Wick's merry dancers showed the agitation he was experiencing, glowing between red and green. Pen and Taro had looks that I knew reflected what Wick was feeling. We all knew each other for far longer to pretend that everything was alright.

We found one of the few tables with no one sitting at. Once we sat, two Hobs appeared, placing a flute of pink champagne and a plate piled with fruit. Silver grapes topped my plate and I gleefully popped one in my mouth. A sweet delicious part of the Summerlands that wasn't addicting like goblin fruit.

Topaz took a deep swallow of his drink before sighing. "Mom left the party."

"Did you two get into a fight?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, not this time. It was between her and Dad. Dad stayed home to watch over Garnet. She's too young to be at one of these parties. But. . . I do feel responsible."

I waited patiently for Topaz to tell me. He's had a complicated life with my sister. Opal wasn't the most open minded person. She took too much from the mortal world. Too much prejudice. So, when her little girl no longer felt like a little girl, she reacted poorly. When Topaz came to Jasper and I for help, that was the only time we had ever fought. Topaz stayed with me in a spare bedroom. I begged Jasper to help Topaz. He didn't originally know how. Jasper wasn't the best alchemist, but a few phone calls and some exchanges of spells and magical help, Topaz was no longer a she.

Opal still didn't like that I allowed that. Topaz feels better in his skin, though. Opal can yell as much as she wants at me, but I will never take back what I told Jasper to do.

"Mom went to see Grandma," said Topaz. "Said that she would feel better and that she needed to be at the party anyway."

"What did her and Birch fight about this time?"

"Opal wants Garnet to go into a fosterage," he said, frowning as he thought about his little sister. "Not a blind one, one that would allow interaction with her. Since Opal doesn't have a title, Garnet won't really get far. But Mom wants Garnet away from your influence."

That comment made me hurt. "My influence?"

"That's when I started fighting her. Dad likes you." Topaz rubbed his face. "Mom and Dad never officially got married. They just got lucky with Garnet and I."

I gave his hand a pat. "Want me to go find her?"

"Not alone," he said, sharply. "The Shadow Roads are available to go through here to stop any challenge of a fight."

Over his shoulder, I could see Taro speaking with his mother. "I don't think the Prince will allow me to go alone, anyway. Do you want to come with me?"

He shook his head. "I'm going to try and enjoy this party. Queen Mira is going to have some fire breathers from the Fire Kingdom here soon. They are supposed to do some cool tricks that I want to see."

"Just remember that your magic resides in flower magic." I gave his hands a pat before standing. Taro was now behind Topaz.

"Hey, ready to go where you need to go?" he asked. I watched Topaz stiffen.

"Opal is with my mom, and she is apparently still at her knowe," I said. "Let's go get them."

Eyes watched us until we disappeared around a corner, leaving the knowe in a different way than what we came in from. The exit led us down some passageways that were surrounded by doors. The swinging doors to the kitchen were propped open and I could see the kids sitting at their own table, eating at everything that was being set in front of them.

"I hope they will be okay," I whispered in a very hushed tone.

Taro looked to see what I was talking about before smiling. "Of course they will. They have the best mom."

I gave him a small smile before rushing after him. This dress wasn't made for long trips.

"Hold on," I said through gritted teeth. Taro let go of me as I gave a wave of my hand. "Double double toil and trouble. Fires burn and this dress is too troublesome." He chuckled as I grabbed at my magic forming around me and allowing me to change the bottom part of my dress into a pair of flared out jogging pants. I was already wearing flats so I didn't care so much about those, but I did add some fur and insulation so I could go trudging through the snow.

Another spring garden enveloped us as we continued out the door. There was water flowing into a small pond that moved lily pads around. We were outside not too long after. The snow made me shiver, but I was glad that I had dressed warm tonight. Our breath swirled around us as we moved through the Summerlands to my mother's knowe.

My mother had some great tastes in my opinion. It was easy to tell where the boundaries were because the snow came down in fat flakes, like the lake effect snow. Summerland flowers bloomed all around us. White and mimicking snowflakes in their odd shapes as they twirled by some unseen wind. There was some tittering from the evergreen trees and Faeries idea of what evergreens are, wide spiked branches that glowed green beneath the layer of snow.

The Hobs greeted me when I walked in, some of them wanting to stop me and talk to me about something. A Brownie gave me a small wave from behind the large load of blankets and curtains I'm sure they were going off to wash.

"You're popular," whispered Taro with a small laugh.

"My mother keeps wanting to give her staff to me," I said. "Which, now with the knowe fully opened, I really should get more people to work for me, but I think my mom just wants me to allow her to move in one day when she no longer wants her knowe."

"Hasn't she thought of giving up her knowe to your sister? Or Jasper?"

"She tried. Opal failed miserably. Almost sunk this place into a shallowing again. Jasper doesn't want any responsibility that doesn't allow him to be at a chemistry set every day, which is why he stays with me."

"Because you let him," added Taro.

"Because I let him," I agreed.

One of the Hobs, Durk who was at my place earlier, spotted me and came over to me. He gave me a large smile.

"Hey, Durk," I said. "Have you seen my mother or my sister?"

"Countess Diamond was getting ready for the party up in her room with your father," said Durk. "Opal went up there a few minutes ago." He frowned. "She didn't look so happy."

"Yeah, I know that reason," I said. "Thank you."

My mother had a spiral staircase that led up to her room. It was the only room up on the second floor. My bedroom used to be up there back when I was a child. It was empty now. I'm not even sure if it still exists. The knowe works in some strange ways, so I wouldn't be surprised if the bedroom was moved downstairs in order to be with the other spare rooms.

The door to my parents' bedroom was slightly ajar.

"Mom? Dad? Opal?" I called out.

Something didn't feel right. No one was answering me. Taro held on to my arm tightly as I approached the door. I called out once more. No answer again. I wasn't sure what to do now. So, I pushed the door open all the way.

Taro tried to pull me away before I saw, but the image burned in my mind before he could. Bloody footprints leading from the bed. My father's throat slit. An iron knife shoved deep into my mother's back. I did the only thing I could think of doing.

I screamed.


End file.
